Neil McMillan (born 15 May 1981) is an
Irish
Irish may refer to:
Common meanings
* Someone or something of, from, or related to:
** Ireland, an island situated off the north-western coast of continental Europe
***Éire, Irish language name for the isle
** Northern Ireland, a constituent unit ...
rugby union
Rugby union, commonly known simply as rugby, is a close-contact team sport that originated at Rugby School in the first half of the 19th century. One of the two codes of rugby football, it is based on running with the ball in hand. In it ...
flanker.
McMillan was educated at
Belfast Royal Academy
The Belfast Royal Academy (commonly shortened to ) is the oldest school in the city of Belfast, Northern Ireland. It is a co-educational, non-denominational voluntary grammar school in north Belfast. The Academy is one of 8 schools in Northern ...
, and at the age of fifteen was part of the BRA
Schools' Cup winning team in 1997. He he was selected for Ireland's Under-19, Under-21, Sevens and 'A' teams, spent a year with
Leicester Tigers' under-21 team, before signing for
Ulster
Ulster (; ga, Ulaidh or ''Cúige Uladh'' ; sco, label= Ulster Scots, Ulstèr or ''Ulster'') is one of the four traditional Irish provinces. It is made up of nine counties: six of these constitute Northern Ireland (a part of the United Kin ...
before the
2001–02 season, soon making his debut against
Llanelli Scarlets. He won the
IRUPA
The Rugby Players Ireland is the representative body for professional rugby players in Ireland. Founded in October 2001, its aims are to promote and protect the welfare of professional rugby players in Ireland. The Chief Executive Officer is Si ...
Young Player of the Year award in 2003.
He played for Ulster for eight years, and was part of the team that won the
2005–06 Celtic League
The 2005–06 Celtic League was the fifth Celtic League season, and the third following the introduction of regional rugby in Wales. Eleven teams, from three countries participated. The final table was dominated by the Irish, with the top three ...
, but was frequently injured, and had major surgery five times. He moved to
Harlequins in 2008.
He joined
Sale Sharks in 2010,
leaving at the end of the 2010-11 season.
"Sale announce clear out"
Sky Sports, 9 May 2011
References
1981 births
Living people
Irish rugby union players
Ulster Rugby players
Ireland Wolfhounds international rugby union players
Harlequin F.C. players
Sale Sharks players
Rugby union flankers
{{Ireland-rugbyunion-bio-stub